This invention relates to the field of authentication and counterfeit detection, and more specifically to systems employing narrow bandwidth marking and detection technology for authentication and/or counterfeit detection.
The issues of authentication and counterfeit deterrence can be important in many contexts. Although it is apparent that authenticating money is important, authentication and avoidance of counterfeiting can also be important in many less obvious contexts. For example, improved verification and counterfeiting prevention mechanisms would be very useful in, for example, verifying the contents of shipping containers, verifying the source of goods, etc. Counterfeit products are, by definition, unauthorized copies of a product, its packaging, labeling, and/or its logo(s). Attractive targets for counterfeiters are items with significant brand equity or symbolic value, where the cost of production is below the market value.
In the commercial manufacturing world, it is not uncommon for counterfeit or otherwise unauthorized goods to be manufactured, distributed, and sold in direct competition with authentic goods. Counterfeit articles can so closely resemble genuine goods that consumers readily confuse the counterfeit articles with the authentic articles. In other circumstances, the manufacturer segments the world market for different sales and distribution practices, so that the xe2x80x9ccounterfeitxe2x80x9d goods may be essentially identical to authorized goods. Further, in many instances, a manufacturer produces goods under license from an intellectual property owner, and thus sales outside the terms of the license agreement are also xe2x80x9ccounterfeit.xe2x80x9d
A wide variety of attempts have been made to limit the likelihood of counterfeiting. For example, some have tried to assure the authenticity of items by putting encoded or unencoded markings thereon (e.g., an artist""s signature on his or her painting). Unfortunately, as soon as the code is broken and/or the markings can be replicated, this method becomes worthless for authentication purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,561 discloses an authenticating, tracking/anti-diversion, and anti-counterfeiting system that can track various goods. The system includes a control computer, a host computer, a marking system, and a field reader system, which are all compatible and can be physically linked via data transmission links. An identifiable and unique mark is placed on each good, or on materials out of which the goods are to be made, which enables subsequent inspection. The marks or patterns include areas where a marking agent is applied in an encrypted pattern and areas where it is not applied. The pattern can be scanned or captured by a reader and deciphered into encoded data. The entry can then either be compared directly to a set of authentic entries on a database or decoded and compared to a set of data on the centrally located host database. The marking system provides control over imprinting, allowing a limited number of authorized codes to be printed before re-authorization is required. Monitoring of the marked goods is facilitated by including a unique encrypted pattern having, for example, a unique owner identifier, a unique manufacturer identifier, a unique plant identifier, a unique destination identifier, and time and date information.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,790 discloses a multiple-reader system for authentication of articles based on multiple sensed fluorescent discriminating variables, such as wavelengths, amplitudes, and time delays relative to a modulated illuminating light. The fluorescent indicia incorporates spatial distributions such as bar codes as discriminating features, to define a user-determined and programmable encryption of the articles"" authentic identity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,547 discloses a method for authenticating articles including incorporating into a carrier composition a mixture of at least two photochromic compounds that have different absorption maxima in the activated state and other different properties to form the authenticating display data on the article, subjecting the display data to various steps of the authenticating method, activating all photochromic compounds, preferential bleaching of less than all of the photochromic compounds, and/or bleaching of all the photochromic compounds, and subsequent examination of the display data following the various activation and bleaching steps by verifying means to enable authentication.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,150 discloses an anti-counterfeiting system wherein an authentication certificate affixed to a product is impregnated with dichroic fibers containing a fluorescent dye. Dichroic polymer fibers may also form part of the product to be authenticated. In order to determine if the imprinted code corresponds to the certificate itself, the fiber pattern, which is completely random, is illuminated by a light and read by a scanner. The resulting pattern is then compared to the encoded pattern to determine authenticity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,558 discloses an encoding system wherein a confidential image is recorded on a substrate using invisible ink. The invisible ink emits visible light having a wavelength of about 360-380 nm when irradiated with light having a wavelength of 250 nm. Unfortunately, such a system is easily compromised by viewing the invisible ink with a black light, which is readily available to the public.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,468 discloses jet ink compositions suitable for producing marks on objects that are invisible to the unaided eye and are visible only when excited by exciting radiation in the preferred wavelength region of from about 275 nm to about 400 nm.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,147 discloses a method for providing intelligible marks that are virtually invisible to the unaided eye on the surface of an article. The invention is based on a jet ink containing an organic laser dye that is poorly absorptive in the visible range of about 400 to 700 nm, is absorptive of radiation in the near infrared range of at least 750 nm, and fluoresces in response to radiation excitation in the infrared range at a wavelength longer than that of the exciting radiation. Thus, the marks remain invisible to the naked eye after excitation.
Thus, there remains a need for a system and method for controlling, enabling, and directing marking of goods during the manufacturing process and enabling detection/cross-validation of the marks so that the goods are uniquely identified and tracked throughout the stream of commerce. In addition, there remains a need for a method and system for marking such that the markings are not readily reproducible and detectable with commonly available devices and so that the markings contain sufficient information for product authentication, identification, and tracking. There also remains a need for a system that can be readily altered periodically to hinder counterfeiting.
All references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The invention provides a method for associating source information with a substrate. The method comprises providing at least one latent marking agent that emits a signal at an emission wavelength in response to being irradiated with infrared radiation at an excitation wavelength, wherein the signal is at least a portion of the source information; and affixing the at least one latent marking agent to the substrate. The at least one latent marking agent comprises an inorganic pigment.
Also provided are substrates marked in accordance with the inventive method.